Systems analysis of Mars solar electric propulsion vehicles

Conference · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:6343705

Hickman, J M; Curtis, H B; Kenny, B H; Sefcik, R J

Mission performance, mass, initial power, and cost are determined for solar electric propulsion vehicles across a range of payload masses, reference powers, and mission trajectories. Thick radiation shielding is added to arrays using indium phosphide or III-V multijunction solar cells to reduce the damage incurred through the radiation belts. Special assessments of power management and distribution systems, atmospheric drag, and energy storage are made. It is determined that atmospheric drag is of no great concern and that the energy storage used in countering drag is unnecessary. A scheme to package the arrays, masts, and ion thrusters into a single fairing is presented. 19 refs.

• OSTI ID: 6343705
• Report Number(s): AIAA-Paper-90-3824; CONF-9009324-
• Resource Relation: Conference: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) space programs and technologies conference, Huntsville, AL (USA), 25-27 Sep 1990
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
SPACE VEHICLES
SOLAR ELECTRIC PROPULSION
COST
ENERGY STORAGE
INDIUM PHOSPHIDES
ION THRUSTERS
MARS PLANET
MASS
PERFORMANCE
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION BELTS
SHIELDING
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION
CONVERSION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ENERGY CONVERSION
EQUIPMENT
INDIUM COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHIDES
PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PLANETS
PNICTIDES
PROPULSION
RADIATION EFFECTS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
STORAGE
THRUSTERS
VEHICLES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
140502* - Solar Energy Conversion- Thermonic & Thermoelectric conversion
300304 - Thermoelectric Generators- Applications